Karen Lynn Link Fine Art

I took this photograph at Standley Lake on a very clear day. The distance was unusually visible, and I was drawn to the clouds stretching across the sky toward the horizon. They were enormous and almost seemed unreal, like the heaviest clouds you could imagine floating across an otherwise clear sky.

I wanted to stay fairly faithful to what I had seen. Unlike some of my recent paintings, I didn't make preliminary sketches for this one. I went directly from the photograph to the canvas and began painting.

I did make a few changes along the way. There were buildings across the lake that felt like visual noise, so I removed them. I also simplified some of the trees to make their shapes more readable. Those changes weren't really about changing the scene. They were about keeping the things that contributed to the feeling I had responded to in the first place.

The clouds became the most important part of the painting. I softened them as I worked, and they began to feel much lighter than they had in the photograph. Instead of heavy clouds, they became almost featherlike, floating across the sky. Their reflections appear softly in the lake, especially on the right side of the painting.

I was very aware of space as I painted. I wanted to preserve that sense of distance and the feeling of being able to see far into the landscape. The value structure came together easily, and there was a strong sense of light from the beginning.

This was one of those unusual paintings that seemed to come together quickly. I'm always surprised when that happens. I find myself looking back afterward and wondering what I did differently that helped the painting work so easily. In this case, I honestly don't know. Maybe the photograph was simply a particularly good starting point. I work from plenty of photographs that need more help, more planning, and more interpretation before they can become a painting.

Sometimes, though, the starting point is already there.

When I look at this painting now, it still makes me happy. There is something expansive and joyful about it, but also light and airy. It gives me a feeling of freedom, like there is plenty of room to let your thoughts wander.

Maybe that's where the title came from.

Drifting

Acrylic on paper

6 1/4" x 10 1/8"
2026

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